12 theater companies score Cloris Award nominations

Take a bow, Des Moines: No fewer than a dozen local theater companies are in the running for the 2018 Cloris Awards.

Nominees in 20 categories were announced during a party Thursday night in the Basement at the Des Moines Social Club. The ceremony itself is set for 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 26, at Hoyt Sherman Place, at 1501 Woodland Ave. Admission is free, thanks in part to an ongoing GoFundMe campaign to #FreeCloris!

Named for the Oscar-winning Des Moines native who attended the 2016 ceremony, the Cloris Leachman Excellence in Theatre Arts Awards celebrate outstanding contributions – both on stage and behind the scenes – to locally produced theater in greater Des Moines. Accordingly, trophies are awarded for acting, directing and design.

The family-friendly ceremony will be hosted by two local theater veterans – Steve Berry and Gina Gedler – with a handful of musical numbers from the past season’s shows.